The Dogs of Rukongai
by Paradoxed11
Summary: Rukongai, the area of Soul Society where the poor and weak souls live.  Every day is a struggle for survival.  In this pit of dispair however are a group of people determined to protect their home from threat.  They are The Dogs of Rukongai.  Contains OCs
1. Chapter 1

Kirou was feeling lost. Not physically no, for he knew the dirty backalleys of Rukongai as well as only one who grew up in them could. No he was feeling emotionally lost. It's been a whole week since he left the Black Raiders, his old gang, and decided to start a new life. Rukongai was not an ideal place to start a new life though, people still saw him as a fearsome bandit. He ignored their looks of fear and aprehension as he walked through the streets with his head hung low and his shaggy black hair slightly covering his eyes. He had grown up near here in the 11th District as a thief and a pickpocket. He had always had a high level of reiatsu and had gone hungry a lot. Living off whatever scraps he managed to collect, he had built up his reiatsu and eventually learned not only to control his own power but also the name of his zanpakutou. He glanced at the wakizashi hanging at his hip from its red sash. "Well old friend, where to now?" he inquired quietly to his only companion, his only salvation from the loneliness that tugged at his heart.

Suddenly he recognised the sounds of a scuffle taking place. Turning in the direction of the sounds, he noticed a group of four men surrounding a old man in blue rags. Anger flashed in his hazel coloured eyes as he walked over to the group of men, bandits no doubt. They were all very large and dressed in dark purple outfits. The tallest one, who appeared to be the leader, was branishing a hunting knife with a wickedly curved blade at the old man's throat. "It's easy old man. Just give us your money and you can go." he said with a menacing smile.

Kirou inched closer, taking in the situation. There were four bandits. Two had knives with them. One had a large wooden pole and the other one was unarmed. They were standing in a circle around the old man. Kirou went to stand behind their leader and grabbed his wrist in a vice grip. The leader whirled around in surprise and glared at the young man gripping his wrist. The harsh, unforgiving rays of the sun had given him a tanned complexion and the daily struggle for survival had built up his muscles. "What the hell is your problem kid? Let go before we kick your ass!" the leader growled at Kirou, trying to pull his wrist free. Kirou only tightened his grip and narrowed his eyes. In a low voice he replied, "Try it." The leader wrenched his wrist free and lashed at Kirou with his knife. Kirou sidestepped around him and delivered a swift kick to his head. The unarmed bandit attempted to grab him from behind but Kirou, having anticipated the move did a neat backflip over the man. The bandit with the pole, who had been planning to hit Kirou with it while his comrade held him still, was too late to pull back his swing and hit his partner instead. As the unarmed bandit doubled over in pain, Kirou lunged forward and punched the other one in the stomach. With his leader knocked out and his other two comrades writhing on the ground, the fourth bandit turned to flee. Kirou growled and tackled him to the ground and drew his own weapon, the wakizashi with the red hilt and black guard. "Please don't kill me." the bandit whimpered. Kirou scoffed and replied, "Kill you? You're not worth it. Hand over what you stole" The bandit handed the old man's small bag of coins to Kirou who punched him in the face and broke his nose. Blood spurted down his face and Kirou wiped his hand on the unconcious bandit's shirt. He walked over to the old man and held out the bag to him. "Here." he muttered gruffly. The old man accepted the bag with shaking hands. "Thank you..." he began but let out a scream when he noticed Kirou's attire. Kirou was still wearing his Black Raiders outfit since it was the only set of clothes he currently owned. "You're a Black Raider! Stay away from me!" the old man backed away from Kirou with a terrified expression. Kirou sighed, shook his head and muttered under his breath, "Yes let's completely ignore the fact that I just saved your ass old man." He looked back to the old man and noticed the terrified stares of the other people in the street.

With a sigh he turned and began walking away. He hadn't noticed the bandit leader stirring and leaping at him from behind, intending a sneak attack. He turned around and saw a flash of blue and white knocking the bandit away. The figure landed on his feet and was revealed to be a small boy with snowy white hair tied into a ponytail. He was wearing a loose blue shirt and baggy pants, a darker shade of blue. He held a straw hat in his hand which he placed back on his head before turning to Kirou. Kirou rubbed his neck and said, "Nice move."

The boy with the teal coloured eyes glared at him and asked, "Are you really a Black Raider?"

"Used to be. Not anymore though." The boy stared at him. He was wearing the Black Raider outfit although the sleeves of the shirt had been ripped off along with the Black Raider sign that was on the left shoulder. His black pants were ripped at the knees and he wore sandals without the socks. The boy nodded and held out his hand, "I'm Ryusuke Diamondblade. People just call me Ryu." Kirou was slightly startled at how bold the boy was but took his hand and shook it. "Kirou Inukage. Thanks for the save but you should go home now kid."

Ryu shook his head. "Not until I'm completely sure you're not a Black Raider." Kirou studied the boy with his hazel eyes. It took him a while but realization finally dawned on him. The Black Raiders were famous for many horrible things, targeting farmholds was one of them. This boy, Ryu, had to be from one of the nearby farms. "Look kid, if I was a bandit do you think I'd be here talking to you?" Ryu just shrugged and as Kirou began walking away he trailed after him. Kirou ignored him and decided that if he just kept walking, the boy would eventually grow tired and leave him alone. He had no such luck as the boy kept following him through the 6th District all the way to the 10th. The 10th District was right next to the river that ran around one half of Rukongai. They finally stopped when Kirou heard what sounded like someone's stomach rumbling. Turning around, he raised an eyebrow at Ryu who was clutching his belly. "You hungry?" he asked in surprise. He hadn't figured the boy for someone with high reiatsu but now that he stopped and observed him closely, he noticed his high spiritual pressure. It was lower than his own but startlingly strong for someone so small. Kirou fished around in his pocket for some coins and walked over to a food stand where he bought a small loaf of bread. Ryu watched him curiously, he was becoming more and more convinced that this man wasn't a bandit. Kirou returned with the loaf of bread and indicated for them to go sit on the river bank. As they sat down Kirou broke the loaf in half and handed one of the halves to his small companion. Ryu muttered a quick thanks and they ate in silence. Afterwards Kirou and Ryu sat on the riverbank, quietly watching the sunset. "Shouldn't you be going home? Your parents must be worried." Kirou asked after a while.

"No, I told them I was going to be late today." Ryu replied, not taking his eyes off the sunset.

"So what's your story? You're obviously not just some farmboy."

"I don't know. I mean I don't remember much. I was just wandering around the Rukongai. Exhausted and hungry I collapsed in front of a farmhouse nearby. The farmer and his wife took me in. They let me work for them as payment for my lodging and food. They're good people really. They're good to me and treat me like their own son. What about you?"

"I don't really have a story to tell. I was just an orphan like you though I wasn't lucky enough to be taken in by strangers. I had to survive on my own. I had to do some things I'm not proud of too. But I'm trying to leave that life behind. That's why I fought those bandits. I don't want to be a menace to the people of Rukongai anymore. We've already got hollows, bandits and jerkface shinigami to deal with. I want to protect them I guess."

Ryu smiled slightly. "You must be pretty strong though. If you survived on your own this long."

Kirou looked at him and felt a small smile tugging at his lips. "You're pretty strong yourself, pup."

Ryu's teal coloured eyes widened slightly. "Pup?"

Kirou let out a small chuckle and said, "Yeah. You remind me of a puppy. Small and cute but also tough and fierce."

Ryu smiled and stood up, "Well if I'm a puppy then I guess that makes us dogs. The dogs of Rukongai." he added sadly.

Kirou dragged himself to his feet as well. "The dogs of Rukongai." he mused. "I like it. C'mon let me walk you home."

"You have a place to sleep?"

"Well actually I'm traveling around Rukongai so I don't really have a permanent home. I usually just stay the night at an inn."  
>"You could come to our farmhold. The farmer won't mind if you stay for a while."<p>

Kirou looked at the small boy as they walked back to the 6th District in a comfortable silence. For the first time in a long while he felt like he actually had a friend. As for Ryu he felt as though he had finally found the older brother he never had. Both were pretty quiet and distant people and maybe that's what made them feel like they understood each other.

They arrived at the farmhold and just as Ryu had said, the farmer and his wife were kind and friendly people and offered Kirou a bed for a while if he was willing to help out on the farm. It was a pretty small farm and aside from a few crops there wasn't much. A small pasture stood out from the rest of the surroundings. There was a big tree right in the middle of it as well as several wooden training dummies surrounding it. The farmer explained that he had made the dummies for Ryu to train with. Since he had such high reiatsu he needed to learn to control it.

A few days later, as Kirou was preparing to leave on his journey through Rukongai again, he noticed Ryu standing in the pasture. He walked closer and leaned on the wooden fence surrounding it to watch. Ryu ran his finger over a small silver ring on his thumb and said, "Dance with the wind, Daiyaryu!" As soon as he did there was a flash of silver reiatsu and Ryu held two identical fans with silver metal lining in his hands. Kirou grinned and leapt over the fence. "How about a sparring match before I go, pup?" Ryu nodded and took a defensive stance. Kirou drew his zanpakuto and held it out horizonally in front of him. "Bite to death, Kiba!" The blade of the wakizashi cracked and chipped off until it resembled a row of teeth like that of an animal. Kirou gripped the crimson hilt and leapt at Ryu. Ryu spun around and blocked Kirou's next attack with one of his fans. Kirou kicked him hard in the gut and sent him crashing into the tree. Ryu barely had time to stand up before Kirou's wakizashi slashed at him again. He used both fans to block the attack this time. Kirou aimed a kick at his head but Ryu blocked it by lifting one of his arms. They leapt away from each other before charging again. Ryu streched his arms out and spun in a circle, a mini tornado forming around him as he spun. Kirou lifted one arm to shield his eyes from the bits of dirt the tornado sent flying. What looked like diamond shards gleamed with a blinding light in the tornado. Timing his attack perfectly Kirou sprung forward and struck Ryu on the side of his head with Kiba's hilt. Having lost his concentration, Ryu's tornado died down and Daiyaryu returned to its sealed state. The snowy haired boy rubbed the side of his head and looked at Kirou with a dumbfounded expression. "That's never happened before. I noticed my fans could control wind but I've never actually created a tornado before."

Kirou sealed his zanpakuto and seathed it. "It just shows that you have a lot of untapped power. You should find someone to train with more often."

Ryu nodded and said, "I've been thinking about that. I want to go with you. I want to help you protect people with this power I have. I already asked my parents and they said that it was a good idea."

Kirou frowned and said, "Sorry pup but I don't think that's such a good idea. Rukongai is dangerous even for strong guys like us. You'd be better off here." And without waiting for a reply, Kirou turned around and began walking away. He was stopped by Ryu who jumped up and wrapped his arms around Kirou's neck. "I'm going with you and that's that. You were the first real friend I ever made. My whole life I've been an outcast. I don't want to go back to that." Kirou's cold expression softened slightly. He knew what it was like to have the dark cloud of loneliness hanging over one's head. He sighed and replied, "Alright pup. If you're that set on it then I won't stop you."

Ryu let go of him and went to gather his things and say his goodbyes. Together the two of them left. One tall and muscular boy with shaggy black hair and one short and slender boy with long tied up snowy white hair and a straw hat. The first of the Dogs of Rukongai.

**AN: Okay so I've got the first chapter up. I've decided to do a chapter for each member of the Dogs. A little background story of how they met Kirou and joined up with him. So this was how Ryu joined up. Next is Minami. For a detailed profile on the OC's I'm using refer to my Meet the Dogs where I'm taking OC's and listing the ones I'll be using. Please review and tell me what you think. I'd really appreciate constructive critisicsm, tell me what I'm doing wrong (or what I'm doing right). I have no idea when the next chapter will be up but it will be soon. So yeah please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed and all the great feedback. It is much appreciated. Also I spaced out the pargraphs a bit more. Hope it's easier to read now.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or any related characters, places, ideas, objects. I own only my one original character, and the plotline for this story.

Two weeks later, in the 15th District, a boy with a straw hat covering his snowy white hair walked quickly through the streets. Ryu gripped the last of their money tightly in his hand. The farmer and his wife had given him a bag full of it for his journey with Kirou. Between meals and lodging, their money had run out pretty quickly. Kirou had gone off to look for a suitable place for them to stay since they couldn't afford to stay at inns anymore. Ryu glanced around him, looking for a cheap food stand. He spotted a small little shop in a dusty corner of the street, selling curry. He began walking torward it when he noticed a group of people wearing black shihaksou walking torwards him.

He stood still, watching them closely, as they walked down the street. There were quite a few of them. The other citizens on the street eyed them warily. It was rare for Shinigami to be walking around the streets of Rukongai. They usually stuck to the more well off areas and not the dirty, poor Rukongai area. The Shinigami walked purposefully down the street torward the very shop Ryu had been on his way to. They pushed past the poor folk and arrived in front of the shop. "Hey!" one of them shouted. "We're looking for Minami Asoshina and if you don't tell us where she is we'll..."

"You'll what?" A girl with long black hair tied up in a high ponytail strode past Ryu and torwards the menacing group of Shinigami. Ryu looked at her curiously. She wore tattered black sweatpants and had a black jacket around her waist. "Well?" she asked in a calm voice that betrayed her obvious anger. The group of Shinigami turned to her and smirked.

"You're the bitch we're looking for eh?" one of them asked. "You beat up one of our boys the other day. We're from the eleventh squad and we don't take kindly to that."

The girl, Minami, glared at him and put her hands on her hips. "Your boy was picking on an innocent kid just for being in his way. He got what was coming to him." she said still glaring at the group of Shinigami. The Shinigami launched himself at Minami, she sidestepped and delivered a swift kick to his chest as he went past her. The man toppled backwards. One of his squad members attempted to punch Minami but she was too quick for him and caught him with an uppercut to the jaw. The girl with the long black hair began fighting her adversaries with fierce blows and kicks. Ryu watched with fascination as she took out the Shinigami. He noticed one of them draw his sword.

"Look out!" he cried and karate chopped the man's hand away from the hilt of his weapon. The girl regarded him for a second. Teal met vivid green and a partnership was formed. Standing back to back they fought against the low-level Shinigami. One particularly vicious fighter had managed to draw his sword and slashed at Ryu who bent backwards and watched as the blade missed his nose by a few millimetres. Minami, who was distracted by two other Shinigami, didn't notice the flash of black. The next moment a large cut appeared on the man who had slashed at Ryu. He grunted and put a hand over the wound on his chest. The other Shinigami had stopped fighting Minami and looked around for the attacker. Ryu looked calmly up at a nearby rooftop. A young man with shaggy black hair and black clothing stood there, a short sword with a jagged blade held limply in his right hand.

"You should leave. Take your friend to go get that wound checked. It's bleeding pretty bad." he said to the other dumbstruck Shinigami. The man Kirou had cut was franticly trying to stop the blood oozing from his wound. His squad mates gathered themselves and then took off. Kirou dropped down from the rooftop and turned to the girl. "What the hell were you thinking, taking on all those guys by yourself?" he asked in an agitated voice.

The girl crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the rude newcomer. "And when exactly did I _ask _for your help?" she responded quickly. She took a few stepts torward the now closed window of the shop to retrieve a long staff resting against it. Ryu adjusted his hat and pulled it low over his eyes as he went to stand next to Kirou.

Minami twirled the staff, which the boys geussed was probably her zanpakuto, in her hand. "So," she began and stopped twirling the staff, gently resting it against Kirou's shoulder. "What brings you guys here? I haven't seen seen you around town. Where're you from?" she asked. Kirou ran his hand through his shaggy black hair and gently pushed the staff of his shoulder. He looked the girl up and down. She was only a few inches shorter than he was and had almost the same shade of tanned skin. She wore an exessive amount of guaze around her chest and he noticed she wore no shoes. "Kirou. Kirou Inukage." he replied curtly. "This is Ryusuke Diamondblade."

"Call me Ryu." the white haired boy offered with a slight smile. Minami returned his smile but her face contorted back to a scowl as she looked back at Kirou. "I'm Minami Asoshina. I'm pretty much a guardian angel to the small kids around this town so don't start any trouble, you hear?" The two Dogs nodded. "So what brings you out here?" she asked as she turned around and gestured for them to follow. Kirou quickly matched her stride while Ryu trailed a bit behind as they walked through the dusty streets of Rukongai District 15. It was no different from most other districts really. The same dusty streets. The same dirty little hovels used for shelter by the poor inhabitants. The same choking atmosphere of dread, dispair and hopelessnes.

Kirou told her about how he and Ryu had met up and decided that they wanted to do something usefull with their lives. He told her of how he wanted to protect the people of Rukongai just as the Shinigami protected the Sereitei. "Shinigami." Minami spat and her scowl deepend. "A bunch of spoiled brats in uniform if you ask me. They think they can just do as they please and don't ever have to face the consequences because they're Shinigami."

Usually at this point Ryu would have argued that not all Shinigami were like that. However after a few days of knowing Kirou and even more so after a few days of travelling with him, Ryu had come to the realization that it was a lost cause to argue this point with him. Kirou bore a very deep hatred for Shinigami. He had told Ryu that it was because of the injustice he had seen all around him while growing up in Rukongai but Ryu had a strong suspicsion that there may be more to it than that. Either way he was happy Kirou had found someone who semed to share his opinion regarding Shinigami.

The three of them walked around town until they came to a dead end street. The street was lined with little wooden shacks built out of scavaged materials. At the end of a street was a slightly larger shack that towered slightly above the others. "Well this is where I live. You boys want to come in for a bit? I don't really have much to offer but judging by the looks on your faces I'd say you're both pretty hungry." Minami said as she opened the front door. Kirou and Ryu eyed the shack suspiciously. The door was barely hanging by its hinges, the roof looked ready to cave in at any given second and the left wall was leaning at a very worrying angle. But they were hungry so they followed the girl into her home. Minami had quite the modest little home really. There was a bed, a small table with two chairs and a fireplace that looked like it hadn't been lit in years. A few cabinets lined the wall closest to the table. Minami began rumaging around in it. "I have noodles and water. Hope you guys weren't expecting a four course meal or anything." The boys shook their heads with small smiles on their faces.

Ryu quickly helped Minami cook up a meal for three while Kirou sat on the roof which was, despite its appearance, actually quite stable. He sat there looking up at the starry sky while listening for any sign of someone approaching. He had learned very quickly as a child to always be alert and on the lookout for danger. At any moment you could be attacked by bandits or even worse: hollows. Kirou hated hollows, not as much as Shinigami, but still. They had frightened him when he was small and he still didn't relish the thought of fighting them. Other than them being frightening, they also sparked anger in him. Hollows to him were a reminder of the failure of Shinigami to help that soul before it turned into a hollow. He glanced down and realized he had been clenching his fists tightly as his thoughts strayed. He took a deep breath and tried to relax. "Kirou! Food's ready!" Minami called from inside the house. Kirou dropped down from the roof and with one last lingering look down the street, hazel eyes scanning for any sign of danger, he pushed open the front door and went inside.

Kirou and Minami ate at the small table while Ryu had opted to go eat out back. Minami learned that Kirou was a very quiet person and wasn't much for conversation, much like his companion. The silence was getting a bit awkward for her and she began trying to make conversation. "So how'd you two meet?"

"Long story short, he mistook me for a bandit, followed me around town, offered me a place to sleep, then insisted on coming with me." Kirou answered.

"Sounds like he's pretty attached to you." Minami stated. Kirou just shrugged and continued eating. A few more minutes of silence passed when suddenly Kirou's voice broke through it.

"Not that I'm complaining but you're being awfully nice to a couple of strangers. Why?"

Minami smiled and looked over at Ryu who was eating outside. "I could tell from the minute I met you two that you were like me. Not just the fact that you had high reiatsu but that you didn't hesitate to stand up for others. Besides I like kids." she finished and Kirou noticed the hint of sadness in those green eyes. He figured there was a story there but didn't pry any further. The silence suddenly turned from awkward to comfortable.

Just as suddenly though it was broken by a high pitched screech. Minami and Kirou were out of their chairs and outside with their weapons held ready in the blink of an eye. Ryu joined them a few seconds later. They stared down the street at the huge, grotesque lizard-like hollow. Its skin was a pale shade of blue, red scales covered its head, back and tail. As it opened its mouth large flames burst forth and engulfed a nearby house.

"Ryu." Kirou muttered at his companion but the boy had already figured it out for himself. He wouldn't be able to help much in this fight. He was not yet able to completely control his zanpakuto's ability for creating gusts of wind. Wind would only help spread the fire more quickly. So instead he ran to nearby houses, prepared to help the other citizens escape to safety. Kirou released Kiba and ran at the hollow, slashing at its legs and trying to unbalance it. Minami leapt to the roof of her home. She timed her strike then jumped from the roof onto the hollow's head. Quickly and forcefully she brought her long staff down on its forehead. The hollow kicked at Kirou and raised one of its claws to pry the girl off its forehead. Minami jumped back onto the roof but Kirou got hit. The kick from the hollow sent him crashing into one of the shacks. The building collapsed and buried him in debris.

The hollow screeched again and lashed at Minami with its tail. Its large, scale covered tail smashed right through Minami's house, effectively crushing the whole building. Minami leapt away and landed on the ground, somehow managing to land on her feet. The hollow turned and shot a large blast of fire at three of the houses still standing. All three were suddenly on fire. Minami noticed Ryu trying to pull a little girl out from a collapsed part of the house. "Freeze to death, Yuki Noufu!" she screamed and snow began falling from the sky. The snowflakes gathered at the tip of Minami's staff which had now turned into a sword. She thrust her arm forward and a blast of ice shot out extinguishing the flames. Ryu was able to pull the girl out and quickly helped her over to where the other citizens were gathered. The hollow roared and brought its claw down on Minami from behind.

"Kiba no Moken!" Kirou had dug himself out of the debris and the large amount of red reiatsu that surrounded him, shot from the tip of his weapon in the form of a large wolf's head, its fangs bared. The attack struck the hollow in the face, cracking its mask and causing it to disintegrate. Minami's white reiatsu died down and her sword became a staff again. Kirou panted with exhaustion and leaned against a wall with his right arm, his left was hanging limply at his side covered in blood. Ryu came rushing over to them.

"Okay there pup?" Kirou asked. Ryu nodded examining his friend's arm. Minami turned to the wreckage that was once her house.

"Sorry." was all Kirou could think of to say. Minami shook her head.

"Not your fault. Thanks for the help." she said.

After making sure that everyone else was okay and all the fires had been put out Kirou offered for Minami to come with him and Ryu to the abandoned warehouse he had found earlier that day.

"It's not much but it's a roof." he said. Minami nodded and the three of them set off.

"So I guess you're a Dog now too." Ryu said as they walked. "We call ourselves the Dogs of Rukongai." he explained seeing her confused expression.

"You make us sound like some sort of gang." Kirou sighed. Minami just chuckled.

"Shut up. I think it sounds cool. And yeah I guess I could be a Dog."

And so the third member of the Dogs of Rukongai joined up with the soon-to-be-very-famous-gang.

**Okay so the next chapter is for Yasuko and then Aryam. Check out Meet the Dogs for their profiles if you want. Please review and tell me what you thought and where you think I need improvement. Next chapter will be up as soon as possible.**


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